The Pakistani man arrested as the suspect behind the brutal truck attack at the Berlin Christmas market may not have actually been the driver behind the truck. The police have indicated they possibly have caught the wrong man after checking through his statements. At the moment, the real driver may be armed and at large.
Berlin police believe they may not have the right man
The refugee arrested on Monday evening under suspicion of driving a truck into a crowded Berlin Christmas market that killed 12 and injured 50 (with many more still in critical condition) may not be the actual attacker.
Since the time of the arrest, the alleged perpetrator’s data was verified and considered to be correct. “We have the wrong man,” said a senior police officer told die Welt https://www.welt.de/politik/deutschland/live160453735/IS-gab-genaue-Anweisungen-fuer-Attentate-mit-Lastwagen.html. This gave rise to a new situation: “The true perpetrator is still armed at large, and can cause new damage.”
The evidence isn’t adding up
According to reports, the attacker shot a Polish truck driver and consequently commandeered the truck for the attack. But the arrested Pakistani man has no trace of blood from the victim on his clothing. According to an investigator, however, these would be logical if the arrested 23-year-old had shot the Polish truck driver.
At first, the police has assumed that the man arrested was the truck assassin. He is Pakistani, known under the names of David and Navid B. and came to Germany as a refugee in February 2016, gaining a resident permit in June.
He is already known to the police in connection with the investigations of the sexual assaults this pas summer. He lives in a refugee center in the former Tempelholf Airport. The police carried out a raid on early Tuesday morning and interviewed several men.
In their November edition, the Islamic State (IS) provided instructions online on how to carry out an attack on civilians. The jihadists published a three-page article with detailed instructions in their magazine “Rumiyah”. They praised the attack in Nice, France this summer as a model.
According to the article, a vehicle is well suited for an attack. It’s easy to procure and is “one of the safest and easiest weapons you can use against the Kuffar (unbelievers).” It’s important to select large and heavy vehicles and dive as quickly as possible into the crowd.
